Smart Battery Charge: A Fiware Open Source Platform and Microcontroller Based IOT Application

Abstract

Context:Extension of battery lifetime on mobile devices is an aspect which is continuously studied by both manufacturers and applications developers. Problem: Most studies are focused on extending Li-Ion batteries lifetime (commonly used in mobile devices), on the premise that charge cycles in this kind of batteries do not reach 100% of their capacity. Aim: We have proposed an autonomous system to control the maximum charge level of a mobile device’s battery. The system also gathers/analyzes data regarding the battery charge cycles in real-time by using the open source FIWARE platform and the ESP8266 micro-controller. Methodology: We have performed a simulation of the battery charge cycle as a proof of concept. Results: The preliminary tests were performed on the prototype which allowed us (1) to maintain a relatively constant level of charge by automatically switching on and off the smart plug, (2) to send the charge and uncharge levels of the device in real-time through the an Android application, and (3) to display all information on a time series chart by using the grafana tool.